We call on the EU and its Member States to ensure the protection of whistleblowers and the free movement of Edward Snowden on European soil - Internet Sans Frontières
Marseille, June 6, 2018 – Edward Snowden, the former CIA analyst who revealed the extent of the mass surveillance in the United States, was the main guest of “Whistleblowers Night” on Thursday, January 25, 2018, in Marseille at the Musée des Civilisations de l’Eurosprepe et de la Méditerranée (MUCEM). Internet Without Borders was a partner of this event organized by the Collectif Citoyen Marseille en Commun and the MUCEM.
On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the shock wave that spread from Hong Kong on June 6, 2013, we are pleased to rebroadcast the original version, with English subtitles, of the interview granted by Edward Snowden to Félix Blanc, head of the Europe office of Internet Without Borders.
Do spyware programs used by intelligence agencies threaten democracy in Europe? Does the promulgation by Donald Trump, on January 19, 2018, of a law renewing the NSA’s Internet monitoring program for six years, pose a threat to European citizens and whistleblowers?
These surveillance programs collect information on foreigners abroad and allow the collection of data from European citizens. Do spyware programs used by intelligence agencies threaten democracy in Europe? Does the promulgation by Donald Trump, on January 19, 2018, of a law renewing the NSA’s Internet surveillance program for six years, pose a threat to European citizens and whistleblowers? What are the means available to citizens to limit the effects of this espionage? Can the European Union protect its citizens against such intrusions?
The General Data Protection Regulation, which came into effect on May 25, is today hailed as an important step forward in respect of the privacy of Internet users. Welcoming this progress for the protection of our privacy, Internet Without Borders encourages the European Parliament to adopt as soon as possible the European Directive on the protection of whistleblowers, currently under examination. Internet Without Borders also invites the leaders of the European Union and its Member States to grant a political asylum to Edward Snowden, who has alerted us to the massive attacks on our private lives, which are still practiced by intelligence and their public or private partners.
Edward Snowden’s words speak for themselves:
“What kind of Europe do you want to have? A Europe that stands with people like Donald Trump who attacks the press, who prosecutes dissidents, unfortunately supporting President Obama’s war on whistleblowers? Or is there a European Union that could say: our legacy, our identity is being not just the old home of progress for western civilization, but the new and endorsing voice for human rights in our modern countries.”